


Holding On (Until It's Over)

by amilliontotwo



Category: Graceland (TV)
Genre: 1x10 King's Castle, Hand Job, I suck at tags, Johnny has feelings, M/M, Porn with a little bit of Plot, Run-On Sentences, Unbeta'd, a bit of h/c, episode-tag, implied previous relationship, or sexual relations at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-16
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2018-01-15 23:40:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1323601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amilliontotwo/pseuds/amilliontotwo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Johnny's upset with everyone and needs someone to tell him it's okay.<br/>Follows 1x10 King's Castle, you know which scene.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Holding On (Until It's Over)

**Author's Note:**

> Haven't written and posted in forever and I started this ages ago but never finished it and today inspiration kinda struck and like this note it is all kinda rambly and I apologize.
> 
> Title taken from David Cook's 'Circadian'

It hurts. Not in the way his eye hurts – not this dull throb of pain – but something deeper. It's raw and ripping open all the long buried wounds of past failures. Yes, and maybe that's the alcohol talking, but it really fuckin' hurts and the others? They just don't get it. Or don't want to get it. Whichever.

'… so excuse the hell out of me if I'm looking for an excuse to forget about all that! Is that too much to ask for?'

And all he wants is a reaction of any kind, really. Someone to acknowledge this, him. But the empty hallway mocks him with nothing but closed doors and dead silence. He knows they are all there, behind those doors. Still, nothing. He turns, ready to slam his door shut just as all the others did, when there it is.

'Johnny.'

It's quiet, and for a moment he hesitates. Because, of course, it would be Briggs who comes to pick up the pieces. Not because he wants to but because he has to. Like it's some kind of duty to keep them from coming apart at the seams because it's his house, his agents, his responsibility. Or maybe Johnny's just really pissed off at everyone right now.

'What?'

He turns back into the open space of the hallway, arms crossed defiantly over his chest.

'C'mere.'

And oh yeah, like that's gonna happen.

'Why? You know I'm right, y'all know I'm right. Shutting me up won't make this go away.' 

Briggs is leaning in the doorway, arms casually crossed, regarding him evenly. 

'Joe, please.'

And okay, that was… a bit of a low blow, really, because no-one calls him Joe here, only Briggs, and that was only when he first came to Graceland and was all kinds of wide-eyed and impressionable and they were kinda… yeah. It still makes him move, though, and yes, maybe he's angrily glaring at the closed doors for good measure on his way. 

He pushes past Briggs and into the room, navigating it easily even in the darkness, until he comes to a halt in front of the windows, eyes fixing on the dark, open space of the ocean, the sound of crashing waves washing over him.

It calms him some, and so does Briggs' solid presence against his back. It shouldn't, Johnny knows. It's part of his problem, this falling-into-old-patterns-too-easily thing. But then Briggs curls his arm around Johnny's chest, hand coming to rest in the open collar of his shirt, fingertips just barely grazing skin and fuck it, he'll deal with that problem tomorrow.

'What's the matter, Johnny?' Briggs keeps his voice low, his breath warm against Johnny's ear, the bristle of his stubble just this side of too rough against Johnny's skin.

'No one takes me seriously here, man. I just want to keep us together.' Johnny's voice is rough and shaky and he blames it on the alcohol and the yelling.

'They appreciate it, believe me, they are just preoccupied. It'll all be better in the morning when everyone's not so high-strung.'

Johnny turns, snarky comeback dying on his lips when he looks at Briggs and it just feels so familiar and good in ways it really shouldn't.

Briggs softly skims his fingertips over the red, swollen skin around his eye and Johnny can't help but wince at the sharp sting of the initial pain before he leans back into the touch, welcoming the dull pain it sends through his body. 

'Damn, Jakes got you good.' 

Yeah, like that hadn't been obvious what with the sucker punch and all.

'Eh, it'll be better in the morning, right?' 

A small smile plays over Briggs' lips at the dig but still he prods at Johnny's cheekbone a bit harder than necessary. It gives Johnny an excuse to steady himself with his hands on Briggs' hips though, so he doesn't complain, just keeps his gaze steady.

'Touch me.'

It's out before Johnny can stop himself but really what's one more bad decision after the day he's had?

'You're drunk, Johnny.'

Johnny growls, hands fisting into the hem of Briggs' shirt. 

'Never stopped you before.'

He tries for a challenging stare but really, with one eye swelling shut, it does nothing to strengthen his case.

'Just for tonight. Paul. Please. Don't leave me hangin' here, man. Not tonight. Not like-'

He never gets to finish because Briggs finally gets it and shuts him up the only way he knows how to. With a firm press of lips against lips and Johnny all but melts into it, revels in the way Briggs holds him close by the loose ends of his bow tie and fuck, if this isn't the hottest thing that's happened in quite some time. 

He lets Briggs deepen the kiss, take control, and it draws one of those embarrassing whine-groan sounds from his throat which he'll deny till his dying day. Johnny allows his hands to push under Briggs' shirt, meeting warm skin stretched over hard muscle and damn, those abs, Johnny remembers the feeling of touching them so vividly, it almost makes him forget that he's actually allowed to touch right now. He lets his fingers wander higher and suddenly Briggs is gasping against his mouth and shying away from his touch and Johnny pushes at the shirt, trying to see what the problem is, but Briggs takes a hold of his wrists. 'Don't.' 

Johnny wants to accept it, really, he does, but it's just not in his nature. 'What…' 

Briggs lets his hands go, busies himself with unbuttoning Johnny's shirt. 'Wiped out surfing, hit the board, nothing serious.' 

And Johnny would question this – Briggs does not just wipe out – but there are soft lips mouthing at his neck and it's sending shivers down his spine and thinking's just really overrated. 

He barely registers his dress shirt hitting the floor, too distracted by teeth nipping down his jawline and then there's kissing again, deeper and harsher this time, with teeth and tongue and Johnny's hands fisting into Briggs' hair. They are close, so close together, and it feels warm and good and Johnny doesn't want it to ever stop. 

Except Briggs pulls away, tells him to take his shirt off and yes, bare skin is good, so Johnny complies, takes his shirt off and finds himself pushed back first onto Briggs' bed, and then Briggs' body is covering his and yes, he groans loudly against Briggs' lips at the warm weight settling atop of him. 

Somewhere in his mind he objects to Briggs still wearing a shirt but then skilled fingers find his right nipple and fuck, he's arching into the touch so desperately that it makes Briggs smile against his lips while his other hand is working to get Johnny's pants undone.

And fuck, skipping underwear was the best fucking idea ever because Briggs' calloused palm on his dick is freakin' heaven and it has Johnny arching off the bed and closer to Briggs whose fumbling with the button fly of his own jeans with one hand. And Johnny, he tries to help, but three hands only make it even harder to get them all undone and Briggs growls in frustration, bats Johnny's hands away. 

Johnny whines – and he's sure he's gonna hear about at breakfast tomorrow because no way the others haven't caught on to what's happening what with the thin walls and everything – when Briggs lets go of his dick to finally undo his jeans and pull them down just far enough to free his own. 

They gasp almost in unison when Briggs wraps a hand around both of them and God, Johnny has missed this, this feeling of just handing over control and completely trusting someone, even if he hadn't even realized it till now. 

'Paul, please…' 

Their eyes meet and for a moment Johnny thinks he sees something in the dark depths of Briggs' eyes, something heavy and dangerous and he's not sure what to make of it but then Briggs tightens his grip around them, moving his hand in a tight circle, and Johnny just about comes apart at the seams. His hips jerk up reflexively, pushing further into Briggs' hand, delicious friction sending sparks of pleasure up his spine and right down to his dick again. 

'You gonna come for me, Joe?' Johnny bites his lip, chest heaving with labored breaths, and nods, eyes fixed firmly on Briggs. 

'Tell me.' 

Briggs' hand is torturously tight on his dick, moving so slowly it almost burns and fuck, if Johnny doesn't enjoy every single second of it. 

'Yeah,' he breathes out, 'Gonna cum, fuck, Paul, please just…' 

Briggs brings their lips together in a searing kiss and with one final stroke of his hand, Johnny's coming apart under him, arching and moaning, and biting at his lip and Briggs follows suit, adding to the mess on Johnny's skin. 

Johnny collapses back into the mattress, his breathing uneven, and he only has a moment before the monumental clusterfuck of a day comes crashing back and Johnny hiccups a laugh, the sound strange to his own ears, slightly unhinged and just bordering on this side of crazy. 

He's dimly aware of Briggs rolling to the other side of the bed, much more carefully than he normally would – surfing accident, Johnny remembers – and fuck, this whole situation is so fucked up, and so he just keeps laughing, almost hysterically. He abruptly stops when Briggs brings a hand up to the side of his neck, startled by the sudden contact when he was just about to go into complete meltdown. 

'It's gonna be okay, Joe.' Briggs' voice is quiet and it should soothe Johnny, it always used to but now… now all Johnny can do is huff and turn to look at Briggs. 

'There's something bigger going on here, right? Something no one wants to tell me. And this is all gonna go up in flames.' 

Briggs looks at him, serious as ever, and tells him no, everything is gonna be alright after a good night's sleep and Johnny wants to believe him so badly. 

But he doesn't.


End file.
